I Couldn't Love You More...the sequel

So.
Here it is.
Saturday night.
The blog has been quiet, no?
This was on purpose though...trust me.  Life was busy...well, is busy...but I wanted to finish to completion the book we last visited before moving on to something new.  That book (in case you forgot) was...

I COULDN'T LOVE YOU MORE
by
Jillian Medoff

When we last met, we were discussing the ladies of this book...their relationships, their hits and misses, and the small wonders that added up to lives worth following. Today, we take a turn toward the gentlemen.

Though the cast is more limited, their influence is no less impactive ...as is the frustration they can cause.  Barney, for example, only graces the pages in physical form for a few scenes but the effects of his presence are felt long after.  (Oh and Barney is the long lost father of the three sisters...long story ...) Finn Montgomery...for all the trouble, well distractions, he creates, it's more the memory of him relived over and over again that gives him power over Eliot.  She never truly moved on from him and so is doomed to repeat history all over again (maybe...sorry, not spoiling it!).  The biggest male presence is Grant.

Father of Gail and Charlotte (first marriage) as well as Hailey, he's a stand up Dad who wants the best for his kids but when faced with a crisis...he shuts down all reasoning leaving nothing but cold hearted logic behind.  Perhaps its because I'm not a parent (well except to my fur babies...^_^), but to me his reaction to the events that occur are a bit extreme....especially when he cuts her off completely, from the children no less! He even mentions his intentions towards the child they share biologically...and the thought sickens me. It was hard to read let alone "watch" Eliot go through all the guilt by her lonesome.  Maybe that's why marriage is in the cards for so many. That commitment, that til death do us part, sometimes acts as the glue that forces those in love experiencing hard times, to reconsider their circumstances a third and fourth time before calling it quits.  Should it be that way? Maybe, maybe not...but it certainly couldn't hurt when trying to keep together those we hold dear. 

By books end, I was ready to come through the page to give Eliot and Hailey a much needed hug (even her mother, Stella)...but the author surprised me yet again with the ending she had planned.  It was satisfying in a real life sorta way and the characters continued to amaze til the very last page.  There's not one person who doesn't experience some sort of growth and in a book with this many strong personalities, that's quite a feat.

All in all, a great summer read for older teens through adults.  This is one crazy family to be a part of but one you'll be all the better for knowing once you've walked a summer in their shoes.

Review copy thanks once again to Amy at KMSPR, LLC.  To see the rest of my experience with this book....be sure to check out this past Thursday's post.

REMINDER: Two contests going on now!  First...my three year blogoversary celebration; second...your chance to win it before you can buy it!  For all the details, just  check out the 'Current Contests' on my right hand side bar.

Until next time...happy reading!